


To: Zhenya

by myszmusica13



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen, angsty but like with a hopeful ending!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 04:50:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5034355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myszmusica13/pseuds/myszmusica13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Zhenya goes to college and Val figures himself out. And Alex gets drunk a lot idk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To: Zhenya

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [that's right you're not from texas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4842434) by [tofumilanesa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tofumilanesa/pseuds/tofumilanesa). 



> A million billion years ago Tofu wrote a fic that crushed me so I wrote this back.

TO: Zhenya   
No-one says my name right

Here in Davis, there are enough people from around the world that he can finally get rid of his stupid American nickname. Jordie had been kind in giving it to him, but it never fit right. He doesn’t know how to respond to Valya, should he advise better assimilation? A name was just a collection of sounds wasn’t it?

 

TO: Zhenya  
Mag. Lost again last night

No one in Davis watches hockey. No one in Texas really watches either. It was the best part of Valya coming to stay with his family- to finally have someone to watch games with. “We should watch at the same time again” he wants to reply. “I miss home” he doesn’t say.  
His ancestors survived Siberia, his parents survived the USSR. He could survive some homesickness. 

 

TO: Zhenya  
Why are you sending me the snapchats of posters?

Zhenya knew why Valya had come to the US. It wasn’t for a better education, there were good schools in Europe. You send your sons away to protect them, from war or from… well, no one likes to think about what Valya was escaping from, did they? And Texas wasn’t exactly the most welcoming place if you were like that. He meant the snaps as a show of support. I know what you are and I don't hate you. And here are people like you.

TO: Zhenya  
Any hot girls over there?

Sasha grabs his phone before Zhenya can reply.   
“Oh Zhenya, is that what they care about in Texas? Girls and cows?”  
Zhenya scowls. He knows that’s not what Valya cares about. Girls are probably all Sasha cares about though. Girls and alcohol.  
They'd met in the wine class Zhenya took as a joke, but ended up loving.  
Sasha though, Zhenya barely liked Sasha.  
"Why are you in my room? Isn't there beer pong you could be playing?"  
"Aw Zhenechka, how could I leave my fellow countryman behind?"

 

TO: Zhenya  
Have you replaced me with a new little Russian brother yet?  
Sasha was second generation Russian was the thing. He watched NHL hockey for god’s sake. But he spoke Russian. That was the important thing here. They could go to Mishka's together, or watch Russian trash tv. God yes, Mishka’s with its Russian teas and it’s no study zone. Heaven.   
At the same time though, Sasha -- no, Alex -- was fully Americanized. He'd joined a frat, dated American girls that were "1/16th something". No, Valya had no chance of being replaced.

 

TO: Zhenya  
Look at what your mom made last night.

Mishka's needed a new name, because it was NOT Russian. At all. He and Sash-Alex went, expecting food like their mama's made it and were greeted with lemon bars. LEMON BARS. He'd called his mother that night to beg for a care package.  
At least home was still somewhere in America for him, and he could go back. Poor Valya. To be stuck in America until the laws changed. (Yoloberry though, completely made up for the disappointment of Mishka’s. Zhenya already knew all of his freshman fifteen would be coming from Yoloberry.)

 

TO:Zhenya  
Seriously. With the posters! Why do you think I need to see that?

Back in high school, there were sports, and FFA. That was it. Here though there was a club for anything. Well, except hockey. He couldn't help sending pictures of those flyers to Valya - if anything just as a reminder that even if America was not home, he was still accepted here.  
Although really, why have FFA, when half the city was a farm? He biked around sometimes, just looking at all the crops. It was hard to believe California was in a drought when you saw all that was growing.

 

TO:Zhenya  
Calc is boring

The best thing about college was choosing your own classes. He could learn about everything and anything. God, how did people graduate in four years with all these options? He could learn about the history of the world, or the history of just the town. And thank god he already took math so he could test out. Did anyone REALLY need calculus?

 

TO:Zhenya  
I'm not going to the Winter Formal, there's no one to go with.

Was Valya not in FFA anymore? If he didn't want to go with a girl he could go with that loud one, Seggy? Or in a big group.

"Winter Formal is fun" he replied, "you dance like an idiot and get drunk and kiss cute girls in the bathroom."

Honestly though, Valya probably wouldn't be kissing any cute girls. And his alcohol tolerance was probably better than that of most seniors.

"Go with Seggy if you don't want to go alone."

Valya doesn't text back for a week.  
When he gets home for winter break, his mom shows pictures of Valya at the dance, with a "nice girl", according to his mom.  
"All those FFA kids went together" she tells him. They're so nice to our Valechka. But I don’t think they know his name. They call him Nick?"

On American Christmas, Valya creeps into his room. Part of him wants to yell - it’s two in the morning, can’t they talk later? But he knows better than to scare Valya away.   
“Do you want me to turn on a light?”   
“No. No, it’s stupid. We can talk in the morning.”  
“Valya” he calls quietly -- please God don’t let him leave before Zhenya can just -- “you will always be my little cousin. Even if it’s not by blood, we’re family.”  
He can’t go back to sleep, but he wishes he could, wishes he didn’t have to listen to Valya try and fail to muffle his sobs in the bedroom one over.   
The walls in this house always were too thin. 

TO:Zhenya  
Whats the point of your wine classes? Stupid American laws don’t let us drink yet. 

The party is in full swing and Zhenya is so so drunk. The room is swirling and twirling and there’s Sash- Alex. Alex. His name is Alex, because this is America. America where no one can say his name right and Valyechka was promised he could be free but has to keep hiding and lying. Poor little Valya. Poor, poor Valya. If he were Valya, could he have hidden it well enough to stay? To lie to his own papa? No. But brave little Valya- to come to America and discover everything they were told was a lie. Their parents still had to work, and if your boss couldn’t say your name you didn’t get the job. Where you were promised freedom and love and hope. And what did Valya have? A secret that could get him killed in either country.   
At least Zhenya had his alcohol. And Alex. Stupid, Americanized, kind Alex. Alex who split himself in two- partyboy American, and sweet, kind Sasha. Smart. The kind of boy Russian girls were promised. 

TO:Zhenya  
How drunk were you last night? You kept texting me about why American wines are better than European. And you sent me someone’s phone number? 

He doesn’t remember much about last night. All he has to go on are some texts from Valya and Alex. Why did Alex text him?

TO:Zhenya  
Check your email, I sent you something for your “friend.”

Oh god. Oh no. How could he do this. But wait- friend?  
Beautiful, amazing Alex. He thought Zhenya was talking about himself. Oh glorious, oblivious Alex. Nothing has been ruined. Everything is fine until tomorrow. 

TO:Zhenya  
Thank you

Having all the information possible is important. He learned that in his Lit class last quarter. So he sent Valya some information. He can’t send vodka to Texas, so this is how he’ll show his love and support. 

TO:Zhenya  
I messed up.  
TO:Zhenya  
Its mama, call me.  
TO:Zhenya  
Call your mother son.  
TO:Zhenya  
Help

His beautiful, brave Valechka. Stupid, stupid boy. Thats not what he meant when he sent Valya the articles. He just wanted Valya to stop crying at night. Not- not this. God, he’d been sent here for a reason, to be safe and happy. And now, a moment of stupid bravery and Valya could lose his family?

Zhenya never meant for this to happen.   
He’s sorry. He’s so so sorry.   
He failed his duty as an older brother figure.   
He failed his family.   
He failed.   
He failed. 

 

 

He almost doesn’t want to visit home during spring break, is tempted to stay at school and party- forget what he did. Valya hasn’t spoken to him in months, not since that last time Valya had called home. But he does, because he can be a good son again. He can fix it. 

“I’m sorry” he whispers into Valya’s hair before he returns to school “I shouldn’t have pushed. I should have waited for you to tell me yourself.”  
“Its ok. Its ok. This is my family now.”

TO: Zhenya  
I’m going to call you, don’t answer.

“I’m ready to tell you.” Silence. Zhenya strains to listen, but no, his Valya isn’t crying this time. His strong, amazing baby cousin.

“I’m gay and I’m Russian and I’m happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Mishka's is a tea/coffee shop that's popular with students because its cheap, has pastries and the no study zone is strictly enforced. And they SAY they're Russian, but they have like, Russian "inspired" teas? 
> 
> Yoloberry's is a frozen yogurt store that is to die for OHHHHH MYYYY GOOOOOOOOD. Everyone goes there. I have run into friends, family, teachers- everyone goes there. 
> 
>  
> 
> The links Ovi sends Geno are here and here  
> and you can find me [here](%E2%80%9Dwww.whatwearhockey.tumblr.com%E2%80%9D)


End file.
